The present invention relates to a hand-held package for use as a convenient microwaveable food container. More particularly, the package includes a thermal insulating surface to protect the consumer from the hot food item. Another aspect of the hand-held package is an easy open tear strip device.
The use of microwave energy for cooking has been available for many years. Microwave shielding material is known in the art to shield microwave energy from a food product or to focus microwave energy to a particular portion of a food product in order to cook the food. Microwave susceptor materials are known in the art and are used in microwave cooking apparatuses for directly heating food and for browning by conduction from the microwave susceptor material heated by the absorption of microwaves.
The self-venting microwaveable package disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,969 is a microwaveable plastic bag for heating a variety of products including liquids. One seam of the bag incorporates a strip seal that vents when enough pressure is generated in the bag in order to prevent explosion of the bag.
A multi-layer microwave conductive structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,231, which is incorporated herein by reference. The disclosed conductive structure for use in microwave food packaging adapts itself to heat food articles in a safer, more uniform manner. The structure includes a conductive layer disposed on a non-conductive substrate. An aspect of the structure""s conductive layer of links and base areas causes microwave induced current to be channeled through the links resulting in controlled heating.
Metallized microwave diffuser films are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,746, which is incorporated herein by reference. The films include an insulative substrate, having a first side upon which is deposited a metallic coating capable of selectively reflecting a portion of incoming microwave energy.
Those systems, which disclose vessels for heating or cooking using microwave energy or disclose materials which reflect microwave energy or become hot upon contact with microwave energy transmission, may be used to heat and cook food products adequately, however, the vessels that contain the food become extremely hot. The present microwaveable packages are time consuming and inefficient. Time is lost in waiting for the vessel or container to cool before it can be handled. Further, additional resources or packages are used to transfer the hot food item to another receptacle that can be held.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a microwave cooking package system which may be used to cook a fresh, frozen or refrigerated, cooked or uncooked food item in a microwave oven that is safe to be held by the consumer upon withdrawing the food item container from the microwave oven, does not burn the consumer, and is easy to open. Thus, the present invention allows for immediate handling of the container and eliminates the need for additional receptacles to hold the hot food item.
The present invention is directed to a hand-held package for use as a convenient microwaveable food container. Specifically, the package comprises an easy open device, and is insulated to protect the consumer from the hot food item.
One embodiment of the present inventions is a container for cooking a food item using microwaves that includes a sealed container for microwave cooking, a mechanically formed weakness in a seal of the container that ruptures and vents the container when hot gases within the container cause the interior pressure or temperature to exceed a certain level. A microwave susceptor surface positioned as an inner surface of the container, including a substrate having a microwave-absorptive coating region, and a thermal insulating surface.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a container for cooking a food item using microwaves that includes a sealed container for microwave cooking and a mechanically formed weakness in a seal of the container that ruptures and vents the container when hot gases within the container cause the interior pressure or temperature to exceed a certain level. A microwave susceptor surface is positioned as an inner surface of the container, that includes a substrate having a microwave-absorptive coating region; a thermal insulating surface which protects the consumer from being burned from the hot item after cooking in a microwave oven; and a tear-strip easy open device. The tear-strip allows for easy and convenient access to the food item after cooking in a microwave oven.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a hand-held food package having a microwave susceptor surface positioned as an inner surface of the container that includes a substrate having a microwave-absorptive coating region and a thermal insulating surface which protects the consumer while handling the package. The microwave-absorptive region is deposited, printed, extruded, or laminated on the substrate.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the following detailed description of the invention may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only, and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.